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Low natural gas prices and their effect on electricity markets present a challenge to nuclear energy, but the industry is confident in its long-term role in the U.S. energy mix, writes Scott Peterson, NEI's senior vice president of communications. Nuclear reactors provide safe, reliable power and will continue to be vital to the U.S., he writes. At NEI's annual briefing of journalists and analysts in New York, President and CEO Marvin Fertel said, "We want them in position to operate beyond 40 years -- perhaps more than 60 years -- and to incorporate new upgrades to maintain the highest possible level of safety."

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The Department of Energy needs to address "vulnerabilities" associated with the used nuclear fuel stored at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, according to a report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. The concerns include leaking, gas emissions and corroded containers. "Nearly all the inner cans containing metal fuel are approximately 50 years old, and DOE is considering the possibility of extended storage of these cans for an additional 50 years," the report states.

The Nuclear Energy Institute released a video in an effort to explain uranium mining, which plays a key role in nuclear energy production. The video features Mark Pelizza, senior vice president at Uranium Resources. He explains in-situ leaching, which is the most common technique in the U.S. for mining uranium, and its differences with standard excavation and milling.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission could decide on Edison International's restart proposal for its San Onofre nuclear plant in California before summer, said Peter Dietrich, the company's chief nuclear officer. The company proposed to restart the plant's Unit 2 reactor at reduced rates to prevent excess tube wear.

The Obama administration's plan to invest up to $510 million to spur the production of advanced biofuels is impractical and could hurt the corn-based ethanol industry in Minnesota, according to Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn. "I think that is a big a problem. It is just another competition for us in ethanol that we don't need really," Peterson said. The administration's plan is unlikely to undermine corn-ethanol production, countered Christina Connelly, bioenergy manager for the Minnesota Agriculture Department.

The U.S. has enough corn to meet the needs of both ethanol producers and dairy farms, said Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Speaking in Saratoga County, N.Y., Peterson said farmers should support the ethanol industry because without it, there may be too much corn grown in the U.S. "About 4.7 billion bushels of corn go to ethanol each year. Say we don't have that market, if we lose this industry, what's going to happen?"